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Note: Before the show begins, it is announced that Kamaitachi was unable to attend the tournament due to injury and Jessica Havok & Josh Alexander could not make it due to travel issues, but last minute replacements have come in for their spots.
AAW returns this month with the first annual Jim Lynam Memorial Tournament. Jim Lynam, one of the beloved co-owners of AAW, passed away suddenly last August at the age of 42. The event opens with the Tournament Trophy in the middle of the ring as Jim's brother gives a very moving speech to the crowd letting them know how much wrestling meant to him. He thanked everybody for coming and thanked AAW for keeping Jim's legacy alive.
Heidi Lovelace vs Melanie Cruise
A solid match with the AAW debut of Melanie Cruise. As always, Chicago is completely behind Heidi which led to a fun match.
Winner: Heidi Lovelace
Jim Lynam Memorial Tournament First Round Matches
All matches below except the main event were all First Round Matches in the tournament. The tournament winner will face the AAW Heavyweight Champion at the Windy City Classic on 11/26.
Davey Vega vs Chuck Taylor
A fun match filled with a lot of entertainment including Vega "biting" the crotch of Chuck Taylor. Although he was my personal pick to win the tournament, Davey Vega takes a loss at the hands of the Kentucky Gentleman.
Winner: Chuck Taylor
Mat Fitchett vs Silas Young
Another solid match that stuck more towards the traditional wrestling type of style. Fitchett gets the underdog win against one of AAW's original standard-bearer.
Winner: Mat Fitchett
Brian Cage vs ?????? (Originally Josh Alexander)
Brian Cage comes out to his AAW debut and the crowd anticipates his replacement. Earlier in the night it was announced that Night 2's Surprise AAW return will replace the missing Alexander. Out comes Gregory Iron to a chorus of boos. He comes into the ring with an Ecto Cooler juice box and did say he was not the surprise. Iron had the insult of the night by telling Cage "I would offer you some of my juice, but obviously you already have enough." This led to Cage destroying Gregory Iron. Suddenly the music hits and the screen starts displaying A.... C..... H. The crowd goes wild! The two have one of the best matches of the night and the returning ACH moves forward to Round 2.
Winner: ACH
Colt Cabana vs Zack Sabre Jr.
In their 2nd meeting, the match starts out with comedic holds as you would typically find in a Colt match. It eventually lead to a competitive match which led to the win by ZSJ.
Winner: ZSJ
Prince Mustafa Ali vs ??????? (Originally Kamaitachi)
The returning Prince Ali (who had to end the match abruptly last event due to a concussion) was welcomed back warmly. The replacement and surprise return was none other than former AAW Heavyweight Champion "All Ego" Ethan Page. Ali gets the win to move forward to Night 2.
Winner: Prince Mustafa Ali
Drew Gulak vs Jeff Cobb
These two athletic pure wrestlers had a fantastic match. Holy hell is Jeff Cobb excellent in the ring. This man is somebody to watch in the next year.
Winner: Jeff Cobb
Fenix vs AR Fox
WHAT A MATCH. These two put on a high flying clinic and the intensity was off the wall. This match along would be worth getting the DVD or download.
Winner: Fenix
Chris Hero def Kongo Kong (w/ Dr. Louis J. Pinder)
These two had a battle of the big men. Chris Hero, who has evaded the AAW Heavyweight Championship since his return to the company, takes the victory in a match either man could have won.
Winner: Chris Hero
AAW Heavyweight Championship Mexican Death Match
Pentagon Jr (c) vs Sami Callihan (w/ JT Davidson)
Callihan came out with a new look rocking corpse paint. This was a bloody, violent fight to the death that involved BBQ skewers, a sick looking railroad spike fight, barbed wire bats, and a Halloween plastic pumpkin full of LEGO pieces. Pentagon Jr retains in an excellent brawl.
Winner: Pentagon Jr.
Overall, the event was awesome with an amazing variety of matches. Saturday brings us Night 2 of the Jim Lynam Memorial Tournament including the following Second Round Matches:
Chris Hero vs Mat Fitchett
Rey Fenix vs Prince Mustafa Ali
Jeff Cobb vs Zack Sabre Jr
Chuck Taylor vs ACH
Plus Pentagon defends his AAW Heavyweight Championship
The promotion also announced that #BROKEN Matt Hardy will be making his AAW debut at Never Say Die on 11/04/16.
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